Roses are White - The White Witch
by PursuitofDarkness
Summary: The story follows Katherine White, an extremely talented legilimens haunted by the past. Her ability to "read minds", as muggles name it, is considered to be greater than He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's but due to this very talent she had always had to remain the Ice Queen of Hogwarts. But, even the thickest ice cracks. Romance, Drama, Adventure and one slice of Mystery - PLEASE REVIEW
1. Chapter 1 - White

This story co-authored by Cardinal and Mike &amp; Mike and Cardinal. Mostly we write one chapter each and sometimes we fix each others chapters. First one was written by Mike.

* * *

The morning of the 1st of September was a chilly one to say the least.

London looked greyer than usual, covered in an oddly thick fog as I walked past the still closed shops.

Even at this early hour, the streets were quite crowded. Fortunately, enough people moved to the sides as I carried my luggage, not without throwing strange looks in my direction as I passed by them. I could see their weird expressions targeted at my trunk. I mean, who carries an owl in broad daylight, and on a huge trunk on top of that? But, even so, they did not bother to question me and I'm thankful for that.

I walk slowly, having enough time to reach my destination, a place I've so longed to see again, the King's Cross Station. One step closer to home.

* * *

Arriving at Platform 9 and 3/4 I rest on one of the wooden benches arranged in perfect order around the tracks. I'm surprised I found an empty one as entire families have gathered around all others.

Letting go of my luggage, I look around the steamy platform. I spot the blurry clock showing the time.. few seconds past 10:02. Too early to be here. I guess I just wanted to get back to my real home as soon as possible. People rarely come at this hour, most of them arriving in the very last 20 minutes, but there are some wizards I know that are already here.

One of them is my fellow Prefect, Charlie Grimore. After fitting his glasses with his index finger, he looks around the platform, similarly searching for people he might know. Finding me in a matter of seconds he hesitates to approach for reasons I already know too well.

"_It's -her-! What do I do?! Merlin, I don't want to die! Calm down, calm down. She did not see me yet, or did she? Do not look at her, do not look at her! Holy shit, I look at her and she looks back at me! Now I have to talk to her, God do I really ?! No, no, no, no. No. I'll just pretend I did not see her. Yes, that's right, that'll work, I did not see her. Nope, no sir._"

Using my legilimancy abilities, I intercept his thoughts. He's slutters as always when aware of my presence. I suppose boys never do learn we really do look for braveness even in people who simply don't have it. You could still fake it if you had the guts. Walking in the opposite direction, he looks away in an attempt to avoid me. It's not unusual for him to think like that of me. I just don't mind it anymore.. so I disregard him and resume my reading of "A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration" which I just picked up from my luggage. Time flies till he finally decides to speak to me... after moving back and forth across the platforms visibly losing an inner fight time and time again.

"Hey, Katherine! How are you doing?" he asks wearing his usual awkward smile, a forced one, more like a grimace to be honest. Looking at the clock once more, I see it's 10:44 now. The platform got crowded with wizards from all years as the departure of the Hogwarts Express got even closer, thank Merlin.

"You know… as usual" I answer in a bored way, as usual.

"_Usual meaning bored to death, frustrated, wanting to curse me or is it maybe something else? I don't know._" he thought.

"Good to hear that!" He replies as I am amazed once more that he's smart enough to interpret my mood correctly. There are moments when other people seem to be more aware of what you feel than you are but they're still oblivious none the less. Straightening my hair, which was a little bit curly since I didn't brush it enough this morning, I chat with him briefly.

"I heard that Percy Weasley was appointed Head Boy this year, wasn't he?"

"Yeah. He is a Prefect for Gryffindors and Head Boy now. I guess he's under a lot of pressure this year..."

"You would think so wouldn't you?" A tall man with striking red hair runs right past us, towards a girl, proudly showing off his new badge.

"I... I have nothing more to say." He replied in a defeated manner.

"_What about you?! You are in the sixth year and one of the most beautiful girls in Hogwarts, you are a Prefect, your grades are all Outstanding's, you are a member of the Quidditch team and, above all, you are wasting all of it! When are you going to run to a guy like he is towards her?!_" He thought with an awkward expression fixing his glasses yet again. I finished doing my hair and, with a sorrowful smile, I replied in a low voice.

"Never"

"Did you say something?" He asked disturbed from his inner monologue.

"Nothing, nothing at all …" I said quickly, hiding my face, leaving him to his own thoughts and walking to the train to start my duty as Prefect.

"_Yeah... bye to you too,_" I could hear him thinking far behind.

As we entered the train I caught a glimpse of the rest of the student body. There was no point of interest in the crowd… except maybe for one. Close to the locomotive, the crowd seemed to gather to see 'something' or, in this particular case, 'someone'. Voices screaming "It's him!" or "Let's go see him!" could be heard amongst the 1st years. Harry Potter, bearing the title of "the boy who lived", was the source of all that commotion. I, myself, have no interest in him, but I do have an interest in the bond that he and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named have. Since his parents had died their destinies have been intertwined and I am most curious on how this came to be and the inner working of their mystical connection. As a legilimens I do want to, as muggles say, "read his mind", but I can't do that, not without instantly alerting the Ministry of Magic which is keeping a close eye on him and on his thoughts. Not to mention how well Dumbledore fits in this story and it will be that much harder for me to find out more.

"Katherine? What are you still doing there?"

"_She's plotting something, I know it. I hope it isn't as the last time when she tried to take points from our own house before arriving to Hogwarts. On Merlin's beard! She even noted the trouble maker in order to give him detention once classes started! At least she let the points part slide..." _I could hear Charlie thinking from my right.

"I was too soft that time..." I muttered to myself. "Let's go. I hope you found the Head Boy and Girl." I said while pushing him aside in order to pass through the hallway.

"_Your skin is way too soft for hosting such a glacial personality!_" He thought while directing me to the right compartment.

* * *

Not much happened in the train during my patrol. Charlie was inside one of the compartments in the third wagon with some of his friends, neglecting his duty as Prefect… again. He should be doing this, not me, but, to be honest, I don't have anything better to do. As I walk, stopping from time to time to inspect suspicious students, I hear the male students whispering nonsense.

"That's Katherine White, right? The Ravenclaw Prefect?"

"Yeah... I think so"

"Just look at her! She is... so..."

"Gorgeous?"

"You can say that..."

"Man, I wish she'd be in my house."

"Keep dreaming, keeeep dreaming."

And so on. It's the most frustrating kind of thing to deal with while patrolling. And this is why I'd rather let Charlie do it! I wish he was here so I could turn his head into a potato and squash it under my foot! I finally got to the end of the last wagon. Hoping to return as fast as I can to Charlie I overheard some voices from one of the rooms near the end of the train speaking of the notorious Sirius Black and his mysterious escape from Azkaban. I thought I should investigate at first, but I decided to resume my patrol in the end. Getting back to the front I try to find the only Prefect neglecting his duties but he is nowhere to be seen. Just as I was about to give up and take a seat somewhere, the train suddenly stopped and the lights went off without any warning. Not knowing what was it about I ran to the locomotive after Lumoxing my wand. I tried to calm everyone on my way but without much luck. Upon reaching the front, the lights came on and the train finally started moving again and since I was already there I asked a few questions in the motor room.

"A dementor entered one of the last wagons. It would have been dangerous to move with it on board." said one of the engineers.

"A dementor… in the Hogwarts Express…?" I said in disbelief.

"Yes, ma'am. I was surprised too when I heard about it. Nasty bits of magic"

But I was more than surprised. Slowly, I head back in the third wagon. My legs were almost at their limit as was my mind.

A dementor. A fearful creature meant to guard the prison of Azkaban.

Most of wizards have heard that a dementor's kiss can steal a person's soul, but there are rare cases when one witnesses such thing.

I am one of those special cases.

It happened back in the First Wizarding War, when I was just a child.

I lived at an orphanage back then. It was a nice, peaceful place. If I try hard enough I can remember their faces, but I don't want to relive those moments… but then again… it's not something that depends on me.

That night the fog was thick and you could only see two centimeters in front of your nose. One of the keepers went outside and let the door slide open. At that moment they came. Creatures that could not be seen by muggles invaded the orphanage. Only I could see them as they took the souls of countless people. I hid under my bed, but they found me none-the-less. As they almost emptied my body, one of the members of the Order of the Phoenix saved me, barely there in time.

As I recalled the incident, my feet stopped moving and with the last remaining strength my body had, I sat down in a random seat near a guy with a somewhat dull expression holding his frog with both his hands like the most precious thing in the world. On the other side, a girl with red hair, most likely a Weasley, was looking at me with worried eyes. Outside I could see the mountains coming into view and the upcoming rain and even further, deep into the woods, the scene of the orphanage came into view once more.

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2 - Unprecedented

The loudest of thunders woke me from the trance I had fallen into. Looking around I noticed the Weasley girl was still eyeing me as some sort of ancient stinky museum exhibit. The frog-boy kept throwing a glance at me from time to time thinking I'm not aware of his intentions. They looked young, maybe third years?

Well this is awkward. She keeps glancing at me. I think I recognise her, isn't she the one who got rescued by Potter from the Chamber of Secrets? I'm sure of it, she's Ginny Weasley who everyone knows fancies Potter. They've even been in the papers. I don't know what someone like him would see in ..something like her. Not that she's ugly, far from it, but she's like a crude diamond and from what I heard she has a bit of a glitchy personality to say the least.

"_Who the hell does she think she is, barging in here like this in the middle of a private conversation? She's that crazy Ravenclaw who tried to get points from her own house? Is she Snape's relative or something?_"

Glitchy personality. And she's not that brilliant at Occlumency either it seems, not that I expected otherwise from a Weasley. They say don't judge a book by its cover. Well.. I think my opinion is already based on facts beyond covers.

"_Why isn't she saying anything? Should I say anything? I can't say anything to her. Look at me and look at her. She's so out of my league. I feel sick, I think I'm going to throw up_"

After a second he manages to outpower his incertitude and speaks out loud, to everyone's surprise

"He-hello… I'm Neville"

He offers me a sweaty hand to shake. I simply look into his eyes, smile and nod in acknowledgement of his acquaintance.

"Katherine"

I then stare back at the Weasley girl, expecting some sort of introductions to occur as soon as possible.

"Uhm, and she's Ginny. We're third years"

So it is her. She crosses her arms over her chest as if unsatisfied of Neville mentioning her to me. Now that I take a better look at them, they do seem a bit pale and Neville even looks freaked out. My presence alone couldn't have caused that now could have it? I think I might have walked my way down to the back of the train. They must know something of the Dementor incident. They certainly look like they have just seen a ghost.

"Someone told me a dementor came onboard. Do you two by any chance know anything about that?"

"_How does she know,_" I could hear the Weasley think.

"Our friends were… attacked a few compartments away. We were there when it happened.. it was.. terrible. Harry even fainted. Luckily a professor was there. It felt so cold.. I really believed we were not going to make it, they must be the most horrible creatures in the world"

Harry? Does he mean Harry Potter by any chance? He fainted? That news is going to go around the school very fast. Rumours about him have always spread like crazy. And what is a professor of Hogwarts doing in the students compartments?

"We came back to get our robes and luggage. You might want to do the same"

Ginny pointed out sharply. I smile towards her, not willing to give her any satisfaction. I get up and leave.

"Thanks, Neville. See you"

I know he's a friend of Potter's so might as well be a friend of mine. I've already decided I have no intentions of befriending the Ginny Weasley.

"_She's beautiful. I can't believe she talked to me. I think I'm in love.._"

His thoughts faded away as I walked ahead, trying to find Potter's compartment. Just five doors later I spotted Granger's and her Weasley friend's unmistakable hair. The trio was in the same compartment, as usual. Everyone seemed to be watching a specific member of the group very carefully, as if he might break any moment into millions of pieces. I held back my abilities as always around him as not to trigger any alerts. Not to mention he already had his mind probed on a daily basis by Voldemort.

He suddenly stopped staring outside like I've been doing earlier and turns his head slowly towards me, the new visitor. We look at each other through the glass window of the compartment's wooden door for what seemed to be forever when someone pushed the door open and I snapped out of it.

"_Wow she's gorgeous. What's she standing in here for?_"

In front of me was the Weasley boy, I think Ron?, apparently wanting to leave compartment. He seemed just as surprised as I am, just that he's from a whole other range of reasons.

I tilted my head slightly to see past him and asked

"Is everyone alright? I was told there's been some sort of incident?"

Potter suddenly sat up, looking a bit flustered.

"We're fine, everyone is fine.. Uhm.. who are you?"

I realise we've never actually properly met. I eyed him curiously then stretched my hand past Weasley

"I'm Katherine, Katherine White. And you?"

I decided to pretend I don't already know, like the entire rest of the wizarding world. I'm sure he's sick of all the attention he gets. I know I was glad of getting out of the adoption system, where everyone thought I was a weirdo and resented me.

Ron seemed to be doing all his best not to come in physical contact with me as I shook Potter's hand. His face was getting redder and redder by the moment. I couldn't feel his breath so I'm guessing he's going to suffocate pretty Merlin soon.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter. And these are my best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley"

Not that I really wanted or needed to know who they were. A third adult person was in there and when my eyes rested upon him, Potter added

"And this is…"

"Professor Remus Lupin, at your service"

He said, making a bow then sitting back down in a weird slightly too quick motion.

I nod towards him.

"You should get your robes on, we're minutes away from the station. Nice meeting you, Harry. I'll see you home, at Hogwarts I mean"

With that, I took my leave. On my way back to the Prefects compartment I crossed paths with none other than Draco Malfoy. He's been trying to get his way with me for over a year now. I, however, had no interest in him, obviously. It would be weird to date a student in the 3rd year... that's pedophilia. Though I guess it's amusing to 'read his thoughts'. Not to mention it's a welcome change to meet his friends whose minds are like blank pages of a book. After rejecting him once again, I head to my luggage and put my robe on hastily.

Harry Potter. The boy-who-lived and the unprecedented connection with Voldemort. Why did the Dementor came straight to him? Is he somehow connected to the recent escape from Azkaban? Yet another unprecedented situation. He's a special one, I must give him that.

* * *

When Katherine left, Hermione threw her best all knowingly look at Harry, her smile filled with suggestive thoughts.

"Oh, shut up, Hermione." She tried to hide a laugh, annoying Harry even further.

Ron, who had sat back down, not needing to go to the bathroom anymore, seemed confused by Harry's outburst.

"She was cute, wasn't she?" Ron decided on sharing.

Hermione suddenly kicked him in the ribs with her elbow, I bit harder than one would expect.

"What was that for?"

Now Harry started laughing at his friend's misfortune as Hermione frowned.

"You heard the Prefect, put your robes on, we're nearly there"

Professor Lupin comes to the rescue once again.

* * *

The train stopped for few minutes already and I was still waiting for people to clear the corridor before we left our own compartment. We had to be sure everyone cleared the train at the end anyway. I saw Potter and his friends talking with the gatekeeper, Hagrid I believe?

As the coaches pulled by Thestrals brought us closer and closer to Hogwarts, I felt a coldness engulfing me and a feeling of sadness, sad memories of the orphanage coming into view again as I stared into the night.

When I see the castle in its full glory I feel like home again and the sadness is swept away, soon to be forgotten. The first time I casted my eyes on Hogwarts, five years ago, it seemed surreal to me. And it still does every time, everyday. I sometimes expect to just wake up not knowing if I had a good dream or the worst of nightmares.

I wanted to talk to Potter again in the Great Hall. This year I must get closer to him. Though that might be a problem… since I've never been the social type which surprisingly only contributed to my popularity. The boys knew me because.. well.. they are boys and the girls because of the boys… highschool life doesn't elude the good old Hogwarts.

Maybe I felt connected to him "thanks" to my past.. we both had cheated death and we're both orphans who have had to live with people we hate. I think we'd be able connect well.

He's been grabbed away by the Transfiguration teacher even before setting one foot in the hall. I heard her calling for them somewhere ahead.

Till next time… Harry.

* * *

On the other side of the hall, at the teachers table, Dumbledore watched Katherine walking in and taking her seat at the Ravenclaw table. He had sent Minerva to make sure Harry was alright after the events that perpetuated in the train. He was aware of Katherine's abilities and even more that they've increased and she had worked on refining them as of recently.

If Voldemort was made aware of this he might try to use her to break or even worse exploit his mental connection to Harry. Playing with such powerful streams of magic could prove disastrous from so many points of view. Remus had warned him that Harry and Katherine had finally met on the train today. His old friend has pointed out that they seemed to be strangely attracted to each other somehow.

As soon as the trio returned to the hall and everyone was sorted he cleared his throat and gave his speech, warning the students of the dark creatures roaming around the castle grounds. Looks like Dementors are the new black this year.

"It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses."

* * *

Somewhere in a dark manor room stood a hooded figure, handling his wand as if practicing a spell of some sort.

"So they've met. How... fateful. Interesting news indeed. You can go"

The man kneeling in front of Voldemort stood up, bowed and left the room, glad to still be alive.

"How interesting"

* * *

_by Cardinal_

Please review and add to alerts :) - this is a co-authored fiction and we'd love to hear your input, suggestions and reviews, be them negative or positive make the constructive :D.


	3. Chapter 3 - Encounter(s)

After the feast, I was entrusted to guide the new students to our beloved common room. The stairways moved as they pleased inside the enormous room known as The Grand Staircase. I wanted to use this route since it was more accessible for the first years and not the Dungeon one, since it was Prefects only anyway. As I lead them to the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw, located on the 5th floor, I heard the students being pushed by the good-for-nothing Prefect coming this way. He almost pushed someone over the railing.

"Why..." he said while trying to catch is breath "did... you... not wait... for me..." I did not even need to use legilimancy on him to guess what he was thinking.

"You were too slow and besides that, you are in my way!" I answer him wearing the most glacial smile possible. "But, since you are already here.. answer the portrait for us.. would you?"

Inside of the portrait, Rowena Ravenclaw moved a little bit as Charlie dragged his feet towards her. After I knocked with the bronze eagle-shaped knocker, the riddle was spoken:

"I am the stone of lovers' giving.

I am what keep's the fire fed.

I am the base of all things living.

I tell the age of all things dead.

What am I?"

It was a good riddle, but at the same time not very complex when you think about it. Usually there are shorter ones, maybe this time is different because it's the first night and she wanted to leave a mark on the newbies. Charlie thought hard, you could see it on his face, but it seemed that he couldn't find the much needed answer. With his usual defeated look he turned to me, yet I do not answer in his place but I let him sweat a bit in shame. After a couple of seconds he gives an answer... or perhaps I should say, an attempt.

"It's..."

Knowing full well that we could stay here the whole night if he answers incorrectly, I decide to give the correct answer.

"Carbon" I finish his sentence, making him an even bigger fool than he already made of himself... a nice bonus.

With a click, the door opened revealing a stairway leading to the common room. Arriving at our destination, I explained the first year students some of the basic rules that must be followed and lead them to their dormitories.

Getting to my bed, I laid down on the comfy sheets, staring at the ceiling. I'm finally here. In the peaceful silence I could hear only small drops of water hitting the closest window. Tomorrow the classes will start once again. The first class should be Defence Against the Dark Arts. I do have Outstanding at that class but it's kind of uncomfortable for me to be there. I am a legilimens. Legilimecy is nor a dark nor a white type of magic, but it's seen as being the first type by the majority since it allows you to invade one's most inner thoughts.

The professors here at Hogwarts know of my talent slash ability slash curse but on the other hand students do not. Since I have an extremely high level at using this ability I can hear a person's thoughts without them realising it and I can also trick the Ministry of Magic into believing I don't use magic outside of the castle. But…

"Hey, Katherine. How was the trip?"

Anne asked as she took a sit right next to me, tilting the bed slightly. She had a strange sense of curiosity in her eyes as she looked me in the face.

"The worst… I almost passed out when I heard that a dementor entered the train. What Prefect am I if I fear the keepers of Azkaban… seriously…" In frustration I covered my face with my hands. I could feel my burning face underneath them… Since when my hands became so cold, I wonder…

"Don't mop around for nothing!"

The instant she finished that sentence I felt incredible pressure on my upper body. I grabbed my wand out of reflex, pointed it towards the speaker and shouted loud and clear:

"Levicorpus!"

I heard a faint scream, but all I could see when I opened my eyes was white pillow stuffing and a little red beyond that.

"Jane… " I said as a sigh escaped my lips. Hanging from the ceiling was none other than Jane that was now laughing her heart out. She must've hit me with her pillow.

"Hey, Kat, you need to stop using that spell on me. It gets old after a while." Jane shouted as she crossed her arms, her red hair hanging down quite beautifully.

"It doesn't matter, Jane. You look good in any position." Anne said as she stood up, flaunting her blonde hair. She looked at Jane through her slightly crooked glasses and smiled.

"Shut up! I don't swing that way!" Jane shouted again, her face bright red.

"Eh? But didn't we share that kiss last year?" I could sense a teasing tone in Anne's voice.

"Aah! This is getting noisy!" I say as I get up. "Reparo. I'm going to patrol the halls now, got it, you two?"

"Yes, yes." Anne replied but Jane's face grew pale.

"Hey, Kat… Katherine! Don't leave me like this with this pervert! Hey!"

"Later…" I said as I closed the door behind me. I chuckled to myself as I went down the stairs, but before leaving the common room, I was… detained for a second.

"Ah, White."

As I heard my name I sprung around just to find those annoying, black, twin tails. Needless to say that I wasn't repulsed only by the way she kept her hair, but her whole person altogether… but again, those twin tails are repulsing on their own.

"Yes. How can I help you, Lucretia Horman?"

"Are your friends, Grant and Tailor, up? I need to speak to them at once. I decided to take out the trash, after all." She smiled at me.

"Yes, they are, Lucretia Horman. Take care." I spurt those last words through my clenched teeth as I stormed out of there before hearing her sarcastic and unneeded remarks.

"What was that all about?" I shout in the empty hall, making my voice echo, taking it further than I'm comfortable with. They are my friends. My only friends. The only ones that acknowledge me for who I am, not for my looks or my intellect… yet…

"Take out the trash, huh?" I shout once again. "Yeah, I guess I'll have to be the one that does that." I say smirking. "You asked for it this time, Horman." I gently touched my neck, feeling the scars that would never heal.

Breathing in, I continue my patrol.

The corridors were as silent as ever, when, out of nowhere, a student bumped into me so hard that he broke my balance and eventually made me fall on the marble tiles of the 5th floor. Looking down at me for a couple of seconds, the sixth year student, pointed his index finger forward and steppe over me like I was part of the environment. "_The only path left for me is straight ahead_", he thought while continuing to walk like nothing happened. Still not knowing what on Merlin's most baggy Y-fronts I just witnessed I decide to… retain him for a while.

"Levicorpus," I casted calmly pointing my wand at him. Being caught off guard and hanging upside down he drops his wand on the ground, desperately trying to reach it. As I take my time to get up and take the dust off my clothes I inspect his own. His house was unmistakably Griffindor. But the question is what is he doing here, at this hour?

"I am innocent!" he shouted out of nowhere like I had already accused him of something. His black hair, of average length, almost touched the floor. He crossed his arms and looked at me with an awkward expression as he pleaded for his release as if it would be the most obvious thing in the world.

"I think only a guilty person would shout that he's innocent. But I don't want to accuse someone just because they look suspicious. So, what is your name?"

"It's not William Davies, that I assure you," he replied with the same expression as before.

"Well Mr. Davies. I will now escort you to your common room"

"Before or after you try a few curses on me?" He asked showing a little bit of concern. I never assumed that I am seen as such a demonic presence.

"Before would be the best, for you that is. And if you even think about trying something funny I'm going to let you hanging until the janitor finds your remains," I said while I dragged him with me to the Gryffindor common room, still hanging upside down.

"Yep, the new year has officially began." I thought, somewhat amused by the current situation. I never imagined that I would be chuckling to something like this, more so after what happened… and what is to happen.

* * *

_by Mike_

Please review and add to alerts :) - this is a co-authored fiction and we'd love to hear your input, suggestions and reviews, be them negative or positive make the constructive :D.


	4. Chapter 4 - Rise and shine

I woke up the next morning as a stray ray of light sneaked up on me. My hand instinctively flew to my neck as I found myself once again touching those damn scars like I do every single morning.

Sighing I close my eyes again. Last night had taken a toll on me. That Davie's prat kept acting all weird on me, spitting out random words, reversed sentences and other nonsense until I decided half-way to the Gryffindor common room to take him directly to McGonagall instead of wasting any more of my time reporting him the next day.

"What do you mean by he's acting strange, Miss White?"

"Please, let me exemplify"

I waited for her to nod before questioning my prisoner. And as soon as I got my approval

"Are you a Gryffindor?"

"Nope"

"Is two plus two five?"

"Always"

"Are you stupid?"

"Of course"

"Are you hanging upside down?"

"Uhm, no?"

Raising an eyebrow I waited for the Head of House reaction. She seemed amused just as much as I was since the boy had Gryffindor robes and he was most definitely still under the Levicorpus spell. And from the little math I knew two plus two doesn't make five even if you are indeed stupid.

Apparently she was familiar with the symptoms. A few other students had been presented to teachers due to similar reasons. The rumour was that the Weasley brothers were experimenting with some crazy potions book they had bought from a friend of a friend and we're going about making a potion that makes you act and speak in reverse or do random things you wouldn't usually do. Some sort of reversed veritaserum. That would certainly explain why he tried to just step over me like I was a piece of furniture and why he answered questions like he's some kind of monkey.

More so, they can't really prove it's them since it's just a rumour. So the twins remain unpunished until caught red-handed. She took him to the Hospital Wing to let him wear it off without disturbing anyone else for the night.

"I did not sign up for this," I thought, shaking my head disapprovingly.

The sun kept getting more and more annoying, blinding me till I gathered the strength to get up. Rise and shine, as they say. Stretching, I noticed the girls were still asleep. Jane and her hair were sprawled all over the bed. I don't think I could do that position even under the Imperius Curse.

Anne's blonde hair glowed under the morning sun, her bed being the closest to the window. As I watched her, she woke up and aimlessly searched for her glasses on the nightstand. Seeing they had fallen on the floor during the night, I picked them up, kneeling down to her level, and handed them to her.

"Oh, thanks Kathy. How long have you been awake for?"

"Just a few minutes. I get the first shower now"

She smiled.

"Fair enough"

As I started to get up she spoke again.

"Hey, listen… You know Lucretia Ho.."

"..rman. Yes, Annes, you're well aware I know her"

"It was a rhetorical question, Kathy my dearest"

Rolling my eyes I wait expectantly for her to continue.

"As I was saying… she came the other day after you left and you know that party we want to throw in a few weeks"

"I do"

"And you know what me and Jane did to that boy last year? With the Love potion?"

"I told you that was a bad idea"

"Yeah, you did, I know you did. But, as always, we didn't listen. Soo… she's threatening that if we leave her out of the party like we did every single year, she's going to report us. And that might just get us expelled…"

"Alright, she can come"

"You sure?"

"Does she even have any proof?"

"That boy is now her boyfriend"

"That girl is out of her mind… all of this just because she hates us?"

"Well, more you than us, but I guess so"

"Whatever, Anne. Just tell her she's invited and get it over with. And tell her if she ever uses that against you girls or me again she's going to be the one who's out of this school, for good"

Anne seemed satisfied with the decision and went back to sleep. I went to pick up some clothes for the day and a towel to take my beloved shower when

"One more thing, Kathy"

Realising what she's planning I spun around quickly just in time to see her smiling and shutting the door to the bathroom.

From behind the thick door she shouted

"I always get the first shower"

"On Merlin's pants," I knew that smile of hers seemed mischievous from the start.

"Every single time"

Jane said laughing from her bed. Thanks to all the ruckus we'd made she was very much awake herself.

Knowing how long it'll take the girls to shower, I decided to use the Prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor. A much better choice under any circumstances, but one also has to walk till there.

Taking a new set of clothes I reluctantly head towards the bathroom.

"Crystal apples"

The door opens as soon as it recognises my password. I like my bath without any bubbles so I undress and get right in. The hot water is so soothing. It feels like it can wash everything away, all the pain and sadness and fills the remaining void with relaxing calmness and happiness.

There's nothing a bath here can't fix. I should come more often, not only when I have to.

Suddenly, the door bursts open. How stupid am I? I forgot to lock it up after me. Only Prefects, Head boys and girls and Quidditch Captains know the password to this place. Who could possibly be here at this early time?

Before I manage to blurp anything out, none other than Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Quidditch team captain, comes sprinting from the door, undressing while running, jumps straight in and starts swimming to the other side of the bath.

I'm speechless.

How do I always get myself in these situations? I really need to calm down before anything.. I can't get angry... come on Kathy, stay calm.

But that didn't help a bit. Mere seconds later I was having one of my famous seizures as I barely crawled out of the water onto the tiles. My nose started bleeding heavily and the memories came back. My mom, my dad, the orphanage, the dementors and him. But things didn't go the same way I remembered them. I was seeing more things, memories that did not belong to me. A woman protecting her baby, a green mist engulfing the two and crimes, people being tortured and then killed, every time by the same man, by me. And the last one didn't even feel like a memory, but more like it was happening right now.

I couldn't stand it, I wanted to end it. If I had my wand I might've killed myself just there and then and not just to end my own suffering.

Cedric got the chance to catch only a glimpse at me before his own head started hurting unlike anything he had felt before in his entire life. He could see all these images, these memories that he knew did not belong to him. And that girl, what was she doing here, he had to help her, but who was going to help him?

He started screaming and barely managed not to drawn. Unable to swim his way back to the margin, having to hold his head with both hands just to not faint from the pain and the visions, he soon began to sink down like a rock, leaving behind only a faint trace of blood from his nose.

I could see little waves of water forming intermittently as he kept trying to resurface. The water was twice as deep where he was. I tried to get to him, I tried to crawl back into the water, but I fainted with my hand stretched towards him and the rest of my body sprawled across bathroom floor in a mix of blood and water, not before hearing the door forced wide open again and a voice I couldn't recognise then.

* * *

_by Cardinal_

Please review and add to alerts :) - this is a co-authored fiction and we'd love to hear your input, suggestions and reviews, be them negative or positive make the constructive :D.


	5. Chapter 5 - Expectations

"You… BLOCKHEAD!" as she shouted that, Jane swinged a rolled up newspaper at my head.

"Hey… Hitting patients is forbidden." I said with an evil smirk as I grabbed her 'weapon' in mid air. "Should I take some points, huh?"

"Nononono." She said in one breath as she backed away from my bed, dropping the item as if hot. "Well, at least you are fine.. or your dark humour is." She showed me a faint smile. I looked at my right. On the bed next to the door stood Cedric Diggory, still unconscious. On the bed next to him stood none other than our seeker, Cho Chang, visiting him.

"So she was really interested in him, huh?" I said to myself as I let out a sigh. "Ah." Turning around, Cho, perhaps hearing us talk… no, she certainly heard us..., decided to come talk to me, but… "Come on now…" I once again mumbled as she advanced at a really slow pace, fidgeting from one place to another, looking at the patients. From time to time she shot a glance at me, and since I had her locked on, every time she did so she met my eyes.

"Um…" She finally stood before me. "C-Can you… t-tell me what h-happened?" She was obviously scared or shy or a bit of both, but other than that I could sense uneasiness from her. _"You idiot! She's a sixth year you know? A prefect you know? I didn't even introduce myself… but… it bothers me… Why did Cedric collapse in the bathroom, and why was she with him?"_ Ah, now I see.

"An accident." I said, not letting Cho open her mouth again, since it will only be a drag to deal with her when her courage returns.

"Your beloved Diggory jumped in the bath without any warning while I was inside. He hit his head and I slipped on the floor trying to get out." I sent her off with a glacial smile, making her shiver for real. After our brief exchange she went back to Diggory's side, making my stomach turn in protest. If it's something that I hate more than twin tails, it's romance.

"Hey, Jane, I'd like to sleep now." She smiled at me like a caring sister. If I wasn't mistaken she always fit that role perfectly since we first met.

"Sure. Make sure you don't hit your head when you get out of bed, promise?" She went off, waving at me as she left the infirmary before I could give a proper reply which she knew would come.

"A sister… huh?" I absent mindedly touched my scars going over each one of them, spelling the word they formed out loud. "Mudblood."

* * *

"Ah, there you were, miss White." Dumbledore said as he entered the room. "I need to talk to you, about something private." As he advanced towards me he flickered his wand in a peculiar fashion making all sound around us muffle down, only silence remaining. "Could you tell me what really happened back there, miss White?" his words were echoing around the room, none other hearing them but me.

"It happened again… but this time, it was different. I saw… him. Voldemort."

Dumbledore looked surprised at my words. He went silent for a couple of seconds before continuing.

"Your gift, miss White, is rare. So rare in fact that neither I can fully oppose it, but that doesn't mean that your mind can't be invaded on its own." He said while idly walking around the infirmary. "I have a solution for this problem, but you may not like it. I could talk with Severus…"

"No. I can handle myself… as always." I said that last part for myself. Dumbledore smiled and flickered his wand once again. The sound slowly returned to the room.

"If you change your mind miss White, the password is Phoenix Feather." He went and as soon as he touched the door he turned around. "You are in no real danger yet, but try to be cautious at all times." With those last words he exited the infirmary.

"What a nice way to start the year…" I said to no one in particular… but I didn't think that I would get a reply.

"You tell me… At least your head doesn't hurt as if it was split in two…"

I turned around, and to my surprise there was someone there I didn't expect to find.

"And how would you know? I thought you were discharged…" I started to say, but stopped as I realised how stupid it was for me to say that. A few beds away stood William Davies, the one who ingested the failed experiment of Fred and George. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I remembered the events of last night.

"Don't laugh! I don't even remember how I got to eat that thing…" He said in a defeated manner, making me laugh for real this time.

"Ah, he started sulking." I pointed at him while partially getting out of my covers, continuing to chuckle.

"Shut up." He shouted while turning bright red. "And? I heard you slipped and fell on the bathroom floor. How lame." I started blushing too.

"Hey! That was an accident, but first, were you eavesdropping on us?"

"I-I don't know what y-you're talking about." He turned his head around.

"Don't try to get away from me." I said as I got down from my bed. My bare feet touched the stone floor, but it didn't bother me as much as it should have. I guess my senses are still a bit dull. "Hey. Spill it all out." I said as I got to his bed. Only now that I was this close to him did I notice that he had a large scar on his chest… in that same spot as… Now that I think of it he is the same age as me. Out of instinct I moved my body. Using my left hand to grab to the edge of his bed as support I bent over him and I stretched my other hand, intending to touch the scar. Without notice he grabbed my hand, but strangely enough it wasn't a rough grip, but rather a soft one. Surprised by this turn of events I lost my balance and landed on top of him... what a cliché indeed.

"H-Hey… You ok?" he asked as he slowly helped me get up by supporting me with his body. Only now did I notice that I was wearing just a white shirt, something the girls must have put on me. At this point our faces were mere millimeters apart from touch. I wanted to get away, but as my hands were now both on his chest… and perhaps out of insanity, I touched his scar. It felt weird under my fingers as they went along it. "H-Hey…" He said, obviously flustered. I moved my head to the side and slowly moved up. My intention was to look at his face, to see his expression, but instead I felt as if an electrical current surging through my body. It was faint but I felt it, just as our lips touched. I instantly jumped as my eyes met his and landed on a bed nearby.

"Thatwasanaccidentsorry!" I said as I went in the unoccupied bed and put the blanket over my head. After that I didn't even move or spoke anymore, neither did he. I guess playing dead in this situation was a good tactic for both parts…

* * *

"Hey, Kat, why are you so silent today?" Jane asked out of a sudden making me drop my spoon in the soup in front of me, making it splash all over the place.

"Hey, careful!" Charlie said as he protected his clothes with a piece of paper ripped from a notebook.

"What is that?" I asked as that handwriting seemed somewhat familiar.

"Nothing, nothing at all." He said crumpling it in his hand and throwing it into his pocket. It was a waste of time to try and see what he was thinking, more so since I was in this state. I don't want to bleed all over the place again. I'll let my curiosity get the best of me later.

"Ah, is that so…" I said returning to my thinking. That guy… William… how can he… I don't know how I got to meet him again… and like that none the less… "AAAH! What am I thinking?!" I shouted all of a sudden making everybody around me jump in surprise. "I'm going first." With that I left the table and exited the Great Hall. "What's with this pink aura around me. It drives me nuts!" I shouted in the hall, making a bunch of girls from the second year jump as I went past them.

"I'll take out the trash." I said, my mind clouded by anger. As I said those words I placed my hand at the scars that started to burn the instant I finished that sentence.

* * *

"Hey, Will, why are you so silent today?" Fred and George said in unison as they grabbed Will by both of his arms the instant they entered the Great Hall.

"Shut up you two." He said seeming unfazed. He met her. He met her again. That's all that was on his mind at the moment and not even the brothers could make him forget her face… and her lips... and the faint memory...

* * *

_by Mike_

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	6. Chapter 6 - Mudblood

The next day I didn't attend any of the classes. I know the professors wouldn't mind. They know of my.. special predicament and I'm sure Dumbledore told those concerned about the recent events I got involved in.

The Black Lake is so silent today, like a perfect mirror, reflecting the cloudless sky. I lean on the big tree next to the Lake and let myself fall down on the grass. Everyone else is in class so I have the place all to myself.

Mudblood.

"Yeah… I am a mudblood. Should I be ashamed of myself? Live to the expectations of this?"

Katherine feels her fingers gently moving across the letters.

I often lie to myself about what happened then, just to keep on living.

The orphanage was just a scam, a cover. Voldemort has done more things than any other person than himself know of.

Every single children of that forsaken place had one parent able to manipulate magic and a muggle parent, earning themselves their birthright title of "mudblood".

Death Eaters were sent to many families who had such childrens, some less known than others. Their sole mission? To murder anyone who would dare to search for the child after being kidnapped and bring the children to that manor they called The Orphanage.

One of the first gifts they gave us there was this unremovable scar. It's magically binding to let us know for our entire lives that we stand at the bottom of the hierarchy. That we deserve nothing more and nothing less than being slaves.

The Caretakers were all muggles. We weren't worthy of a wizard's attention. They were all under the Imperius Curse. They had a bit of free will. That's why I still have a few happy memories of the place. However, they were not, under any circumstances, let us leave the premises of the building. And, as we soon found out, we were never going to be adopted. We were told our parents had abandoned us, that they hated us and that we should be grateful to them, our benefactors.

A few weeks after we got "recruited" they started giving us potions. They told us their preemptive medicines for some kind of disease outbreak. But that went on and on for years. Some got sick and others seemed to lose control of their magic as they died horrible deaths. Many turned against each other and killed with their bare hands.

And I? I developed this ability. The ability to tap into one's train of thought and in certain cases even manipulate it. Who we are if not the sum of our memories? Temper with that and you temper with one-self. Just like they tempered with my life bringing these horrible memories and making me who I am now. I'm still confused about that myself. Who I am that is.

I kept my "quality" hidden from our observers. They only came once or twice a week to test us and leave more potion batches to the Caretakers. Sometimes they even casted unknown spells on us. When I showed my memories to the Order they said they couldn't identify the spells. I don't know if to believe them or not, but I couldn't find anything remotely related in any book I could get my hands on in the last few years.

Apparently, Voldemort decided at some point that The Orphanage experiment designated to build himself an army of talented slaves had failed. So he gave the order to do what they always do with things they find useless. Termination.

"It's time to take out the trash," was said as they left the doors wide open and sent the dark angels in.

Enough Dementors to kill us all. Adults and childrens, boys and girls, caretakers or not. That's when Dumbledore's Order came to the rescue. Like true angels of light, they used patronuses to push back the hooded figures.

I was not aware others have also been saved from the remains. That scar of his is unmistakably the same as mine. I wonder if he recognized me. I don't remember him at all from those days and he must've changed his name as well.

Perhaps I should invite him to my birthday next week and get more information out of him.

And that kiss.. I wish I could kiss him aga…

Just as I was thinking the unthinkable, something drew my attention. A black wolf-like dog seemed to be stalking me. Since there was no one around I decided to take my leave and avoid a direct confrontation with the creature. However, I had the odd feeling that dog had more to it than one would believe at first sight. My Legilimens told me he had human-like thoughts. Only that I couldn't reach them, not from that distance anyway.

As I walked away I heard a howling behind.

I took my wand out, expecting the worst. Familiar masked figures presented themselves from behind the trees. I don't know how they got past all the security and Dementors due to the Azkaban escape, but they somehow have.

They did not attack me, so I tried to slowly back away, towards the castle. They had, however, other plans.

I felt my scar burn like it hasn't in a long long time. I dropped my wand to the ground and fell to my knees. One of them closed in and took off his mask.

I don't know his name but I remember him oh so well. He was the leader of the Death Eaters who were in charge of The Orphanage. And the symbol on our neck had of course other useful purposes as well. Such as keeping us in check. Looks like the Order wasn't able to remove all the enchantments after all.

The huge black dog tried to attack one of them, but was soon kicked so hard I could hear ribs breaking and thrown into the cold water of the lake.

Maybe Dumbledore wasn't right to claim so easily that I will be safe here.

"Miss White. Long time no see. Missed me?"

I find the strength to spit on his robe, disgusted.

"Cute"

He uses his arm to slap me so hard I thought I would faint. He then used magic to make me stand on my feet and grabbed my jaw with his gloved hand.

"You shall bring yourself and Mr. Davies here next week when the students and most of staff will be leaving to Hogsmead. If you fail to do so, I don't think we have to explain the consequences to you, now do we?"

Hearing only half of his first thought made me want to vomit. What a repulsive human being.

"MOREOVER"

He said, lifting me from the ground.. suffocating me.

"You shall bring along your new little friend, Harry Potter"

"Did I make myself understood? DID I NOW?"

"Yhess"

With that he threw me on the ground like a piece of garbage. Just as they had appeared they were now gone as I finished choking up with my own saliva.

* * *

_by Cardinal_

Please review and add to alerts :) - this is a co-authored fiction and we'd love to hear your input, suggestions and reviews, be them negative or positive make the constructive :D.


	7. Chapter 7 - Memories and relations

"This is useless… just… useless." I said defeated as I sat on the stairs leading to the main gate, head in hands. "I… what can I do?" Countless strategies shot through my mind, but none of them was even remotely possible. There was just a simple choice that ramified into countless others: to submit or to oppose them, but either way, I had to make a stand. If I was to submit it would be only to oppose them later and if I opposed them now the only plausible choice would be to run… but you can't Apparate in Hogwarts so we had to literally run…

"'We', huh?" I was surprised myself that I used that word… just as surprised that kiss still had some meaning to me. Just what am I thinking about someone I met a day ago? I tried to shove the thought to the back of my head and rested my back on the uneven stairs looking at the sky… but what I saw was no sky, but a person. In front of me stood Diggory, peering at my face with a curious look in his eyes.

"Can I help you somehow?" I asked uninterested while looking at him upside down.

"Um… you are Katherine White, right?" He said, looking around for no apparent reason.

"None other."

"I am sorry for the other day, bursting into the bathroom like that…" Ah, that's what he wanted.

"Ah, that so." I absent mindedly said while pointing my wand at him.

"Eh?"

"Stupefy." His body was sent flying back until he hit something. I just heard the impact, didn't see it.

"No we're even?" I heard him ask from afar.

"Yeah." I smiled to myself as I closed my eyes. I could hear faint footsteps coming from behind me, but paid them no mind assuming it was just Diggory returning.

"You… You don't usually send people flying when they ask for forgiveness…" At those words I opened my eyes and shot up like burnt. Next to me was Will, with his usual simile… 'Usual'? I tried to think back to those days but nothing came to mind.

"How long have you b-been there?" I shuttered as I spoke but that only made his smile grow larger.

"A while. You see, Cedric came with me in order to find you."

"Why?" I spoke without thinking.

"Ah… he was awake back then. He saw that…" He started turning bright red as well as me. Though in all this mess that was in my head, I managed to think clearly for a second. I grabbed his hand in an instant and started running down the stairs and into the forest, dragging him with me. I could sense his hot hand as he held mine. This feeling was awfully nostalgic.

As soon as we got deep enough I stopped running.

"Do you remember me?" I said, turning towards him. He was at a loss of words towards the current situation, but even so, he opened his mouth.

"I do. I could never forget you to be honest…" He answered while turning away. "Even with my memories a mess I still remembered you." As he said that I still held his hand in a firm grip.

"Hey… it's ok? It's ok if I don't let you go?" I asked as I hugged him tightly from behind. He suddenly turned around to face me and kept me in his arms.

"I see you kept your name, idiot." At those words I started crying out loud, grabbing him even tighter than before. Ah, I remember him now. He was there for me since the beginning, since I was assigned to that… place. I see. That's why I'm acting so strange around him. My mind tried to forget about him, but in the end couldn't. Even if I didn't remember his face, the feelings I had then haven't changed. Now everything falls into place. My disgust towards love and my glacial personality… I tried to force him out of my mind, but he always stayed there. After all… he was my first love.

* * *

I remember how it was back then, when I was 8 years old.

After my parents died I had no place to call home as every other relative abandoned me one after another. I could do things that defied logic and that scared people. I had to live on the streets, but food didn't come cheap, so… I improvised. I stole it, most of the time, but sometimes, on special occasions I would perform magic 'tricks' for money. I lived like that for a while, before he came, a man dressed in a black robe. As soon as he Appareted in front of me he yanked my arm and took me with him, to that place.

There I found out who I really was… and that I would stay among the rest of the kids there for a long time. That scared me the most.

After my first week there, an accident occurred. A boy, that came out of the 'treatment room' started laughing uncontrollably before he started killing left and right. It was as if he was surrounded by invisible blades that cut where ever they could. I was in his way. At that time I was frozen solid. I didn't know what to do, but another boy stood in front of me, taking a hit, before knocking the other one out. I tended to his wounds and he asked for my name.

"K-Katherine…" I replied, still scared.

"Idiot. You gave me your real name, didn't you?" He asked while grimacing as I bandaged him. "I'm David… nice knowing you Katherine."

After that we decided to help one another anyhow we could. I only remember bits and pieces, but I think I held his hand for a long while for me to feel this attached to this feeling.

* * *

"I see. So that happened…" He said as I finished describing to him the events of today. "I have an idea but you may not like it." He nodded and looked into my eyes.

"Anything is better than going back… but what about Potter…?" I asked, Will responding with a grimace.

"He'll be fine. Dumbledore is here." He was obviously worried about him too, but it was as if he valued our lives more. "Only you know about the Death-Eaters, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. But if we want to do this we'll need time… It has to happen tomorrow." He said mostly to himself, but I couldn't reach into his mind, no matter what. That would be cheating. "Katherine, do you trust me?" He suddenly said as he placed his hands on my shoulders. His face was close, too close, yet why didn't I get away from his grasp? Ah, that's right…

I boldly moved in front of him, and with one swift move my lips touched his. My hands clinged to his back as his grabbed me by the waist.

… I love him.

"Is that enough trust?" I said as our lips departed after a couple of minutes.

"Y-Yes." He said, obviously flustered. He was bright red, but I already regained my composure. I knew what had to be done and I intended to take it until the bitter end. I knew what I was going to do and what was going to happen if I did this, but it was better this way… way better than what would await me if I took the other end.

"Are you ok with this, Will?" I asked looking up at him. He was still pondering the question or perhaps his senses were still dull after the kiss? I don't know.

"Yes. It's the only choice that doesn't lead back there, in my opinion."

"I agree." I said pulling him with me.

"Where are we going now?"

"Dumbledore." I instantly answered. I kept dragging him around the castle, to Dumbledore's office. For the first time since I got here, to Hogwarts, I felt alive again. I started laughing.

"Hey, that was… Kat, right Anne?" I heard a familiar voice as I ran through the corridor.

"It can't be… My beloved Kathy would never run around dragging a man after her."

"Yeah, you're right."

I laughed even louder as I heard those two, but even if I was to never see them again, I still thought that this was for the best.

"Phoenix Feather." I said as I got to the statue that leaded to Dumbledore's office. I knocked once on the door and after I got permission to enter, I did so without hesitation.

"Ah, miss White, so you decided to come, eventually." He said as he made his way towards us. "I say that, but I believe that your reason for coming here is quite different from what I might imagine." I tightened my grip on Will's hand and after exchanging a look with him, we both nodded.

""Headmaster, we would like to leave Hogwarts.""

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8 - Seriously

"Albus, you're not telling me you're EVEN considering, are you? They are much too young to be leaving school and you're allowing them to go as far as living together? This is unacceptable on so many disciplinary levels"

"Minerva.."

"You're fueling their wrong beliefs and I do not want to be part of it. They have N.E.W.T. next year for Merlin's sake. They will need a proper education to survive out there."

"I wondered if the time will come when you'll doubt my decisions"

"I always do that, Albus, and you know it very well"

"Nevertheless, you will have to go along with this and support my decision. They need all the help they can get. It's not a matter of right or wrong anymore, but of what we must and mustn't do"

"And you truly believe they must do this?"

"They believe, so I believe. Lemon-drop?"

"You're infuriating sometimes, you know that?"

"My dear Minerva, how could I ever forget, when you keep reminding me every single day?"

Sighing, the Deputy Headmistress sat back down on the golden chair the headmaster had conjured before her early arrival.

"And how, may I ask, are you going to make all of this puzzle fit together?"

Dumbledore levitated a tray of Minerva's favorite hot beverage, english tea, from across the room to his desk.

"You remember Sirius Black, don't you?"

She looked surprised and for good reason

"What does he have to do with all of this?"

"He's not the one to have betrayed Harry's parents. Peter Pettigrew had and then faked his own death as Sirius tried to pursue and bring him to justice"

"Propestorous. Are you sure those lemon-drops of yours haven't spoiled?"

"Minerva, allow me to introduce Harry's godfather, Sirius Black III"

A tall, black haired man with a tired expression, but not as bad as one would expect from someone who had spent so many years in Azkaban. She felt like a bludger had hit her straight in the face and she looked like it. Soon after, the cup she'd been holding touched the floor and smashed into small pieces of porcelain.

"Long time no see, Mini. You're as proper as ever"

He was wearing suit pants with a dark green jacket with stripes over a black shirt and vest. He looked overall impeccable. There was no resemblance to the monster McGonagall had expected.

"What is the meaning of this? Please explain yourself, Albus. Right now"

"Sirius here is an undeclared animagus which allowed him to resists the Dementors better than any ordinary prisoner could. He was able to find his way out for the same reason. As you could imagine, Dementors don't really care if a dog passes by them when they have so many other souls to torture. Our Hagrid found him in his animagus form, floating on the surface of the Great Lake, not long after Miss White was attacked by our unexpected visitors. Apparently, he tried to help her and that's how he ended up being left for dead in the lake. Imagine poor Hagrid's reaction when the lost dog he thought he had saved turned into a fully grown man. The Order has already extracted Sirius's memories and sent them to the Ministry. As you're aware, he never received a fair trial in the Potter's case and I plan to change that as soon as possible"

"Let's say I believe all of that."

"In exchange for our help to clear his name and bring the real traitor to justice, Sirius is going to be a perpetrator for our plan"

"I'll make sure our little couple travels and settles in safely. I'll also help the Order set up the same wards my family has on the house the you've been using for years to host Order meetings"

"And he'll be guarding them until we finish up our part of the deal"

"And where does Harry fit in all of this, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My godson and I will meet only once before I leave. It's not safe for him to talk to me before I'm completely cleared. There are people in the Ministry who would gladly use the smallest opportunity to shove him behind bars just like they did with me. They're the ones who failed to detect charm on her scar. Or more likely, who decided to pretend not to have known about it. I remember taking her out of that Death Eater manor filled with Dementors.. the things they were doing to those kids… I'm amazed to this day the two of them survived, wasn't there..."

"And as soon as we know these two are well taken care of, we can better care of Harry ourselves. Breaking her connection with him will, hopefully, diminish the risks he's exposed to," Dumbledore cut Sirius's sentence and eyed carefully. Luckily, the teacher hadn't noticed, much too succumed in her own train of thought.

"Hopefully? You base all of this on hope?"

"Love is our greatest weapon and hope our best line of defense"

"You've always had your ways with words, Albus. I do hope that will be enough this time around"

* * *

The sun was setting as the Astronomy Tower was engulfed by the shadows of the mountains. The Great Lake shone in the colors of the sunset.

We've been on the top of the Astronomy Tower for hours without speaking much, holding each other in a soft embrace. He didn't seem to know what to say and I needn't him say anything. The silence was comfortable, welcomed even.

"I feel like I'm dreaming when I'm up here. Especially now that you're here with me and the unknown lays ahead. It's surreal, really. On moment I'm afraid I'll die before my very birthday and the next I'm moving in with you.."

I tilt my head slightly, a few curls falling down my shoulders from the bun I unsuccessfully tried to tame them in. Looking in his eyes, I feel like everything is going to be alright and the knot in my stomach tightens as the urge to kiss him again takes over me. Our lips touch lightly for the millionth time. I open my eyes and so does the same a moment later.

"What was that for?"

"You keep asking me that, every single time," I smile back at him.

"Because I love to see you smiling."

* * *

At the bottom of the tower, two girls began their ascension towards to top.

"Only five thousand steps to go, four thousand nine hundred and ninety nine, four thousand nine hundred and ninety eight"

"Shut up, Jane"

"Four thousand and…"

* * *

"So.. France, huh? You think those people, the Delacour's, will be ok helping us out? And seriously? Black? I didn't see that one coming"

"You didn't see Fred and George coming either, now, did you?"

"You're never going to let me forget that accursed night, will you?"

"Did you expect anything less?" I said, raising an eyebrow at him.

He rolled his eyes playfully at me

"I guess not"

"Oooooh… look at you all lovey-dovey.. soo cuuutee"

"Helloo, Anneee," I said frowning in her direction. "Where's Jane?"

Jane's faint voice came into focus as soon as I asked

"Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Merlin, they really have to cut these down. I think I just lost two pounds"

I found it amusing that she was barely holding herself up by the railing, breathing heavily as sweat covered her forehead, while Anne was perfectly fine. Those morning running sessions we did together every year finally paid off.

"So what are you two lovebirds planning all alone up here? I'm still dazzled by that you were sprinting in the hallway, dragging him along, Katherina."

She know I hate it when she calls me like that.

"Kathhh-and-Wiiill-sit-sittinggg-in-a-a-tree-k-i-s-s-i-n-g," Jane tried to muster, not managing to be very convincing with her irregular breathing.

"There's been a change of plans. We're going to have to reschedule that party"

"How many days do you want to postpone it?"

"Not postpone it. We're going to have it early"

Anne crossed her arms and took a defensive position

"And how early is that?"

"Tomorrow night"

"WHAT?!"

"Bye.." saying that, Jane let herself fall flat on the stone floor and closed her eyes. Always the drama queen.

* * *

"There's been an unfortunate turn of events, my Lord"

"What now?"

* * *

"Fleur, mon chéri, you only have to show them around until they get accustomed"

"But, mama, you took me away from school for this?"

"Don't be like that, Fleur, and do as I ask, s'il vous plaît! Merci"

The door to the blonde's room slammed firmly to the wooden frame.

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9 - The Hidden House, nr 9

"So, I guess this'll be the last time we're sitting here, together like this." I said to Anne as she stood right next to me. I had Will turn away from us for a second as she wanted to talk about something in private.

"Are you certain this is the best choice? If I could, I…"

"No. It's fine." I showed her a faint smile. "This is… the future I choose." I finished my answer as I closed my eyes. "Thank you." For some reason she began poking my shoulder with her index finger.

"Hey, you in love? This is love right? You're too mellow." I started laughing.

"Are you ok with this? Leaving school ground for something like this?" at that she grabbed both of my cheeks with her palms and forcefully turned me towards her.

"What did we talk about your birthday time and time over? It's a special occasion and we want to be there to celebrate it." After that she gently hugged me and whispered in my ear "You don't need to hate being born. I thought we talked about this the first year you came to Hogwarts, no?"

"Yes… you're right…" I managed to say before she pushed me away. Just then I could hear a familiar voice coming from the stairway.

"What are you doing down there, miss Tailor?" Dumbledore said as Jane was still on the floor, but as soon as she heard his voice she sprung up in an instant. "I believe you two are ready for departure? Splendid." After saying that, Dumbledore walked to the edge of the astronomy tower, waiting for the two to come at him. "We had this talk in my office, but are you certain? From this point on, there is no turning back."

""Yes. We are certain."" We both said at the same time as we grabbed his stretched out hands. He smiled.

"Sometimes I believe the youth has more power over magic than the ministry itself." As soon as he whispered that I recognized the awful sensation of Apparating and in an instant we found ourselves in a small city.

"We really left, huh?" I heard Will whisper in the night as I grabbed his hand.

"Yeah." I say myself as I watched the stars above.

"You two really are all over each other, huh?" I heard a voice coming from our vicinity. After the shadow entered the illuminated path I could confirm with my own eyes. Before me stood Sirius Black. "To think that you're the same young lady that stood before the lake earlier today…" Sirius smiled and started walking without waiting for us to introduce ourselves. "I managed to successfully recreate the protective charm my house has, but I have to admit, it was tricky." I looked behind me, but I saw that Dumbledore already left so I followed Sirius. "This is the place." He said as he stood before the edge of buildings 8 and 10. As soon as we got close enough the area between the two buildings started to enlarge and as if pushing the rest of the blocks apart. Right there, where it should have been from the beginning, stood the house we'll live from now on. "Well now, don't be shy. This is your house now, come on in." He said, pushing us forward with both of his hands. I opened the door just to be welcomed by a standard hallway. It was narrow. Both of us couldn't possibly walk next to each other so we took turns. I almost tripped over the carpet that I think was strategically positioned there and advanced in the building. At the end of the hallway was the door to the living room and next to that, the kitchen and dining room. The living room was spacious, two couches sitting in front of a fireplace, surrounded by empty bookcases. The kitchen was even bigger, hosting up to 12 chairs under its table and also being decorated with plants of different sizes and forms, all of them normal, I hope. The kitchen was small, but more than enough for us to cook a decent meal. After finishing here, we went to the first and last floor of the building. The bathroom was here, just at the edge of the stairs. There were several other rooms at this level, but Sirius found the need to show us only this last room before leaving.

"This, at the end of the hall, is the bedroom." He said with a smile as he entered the room. I have a bad feeling about this. As soon as we entered Sirius closed the door. There was nothing wrong with the room itself but only one thing bugged me, or perhaps should I say… made me feel a bit uneasy… and that was the fact that there was only a double bed. I wanted to say something in protest, but I really couldn't… because… we were… and perhaps… natural conclusion, I guess? "Well then, I have to leave now. I don't want to attract too much attention here so I'll going back at Hogwarts." He said throwing us the key to the house. "It's yours." He smiled and Disapparated right before our eyes.

"Um…" Will tried to say something, but he soon closed his mouth. Both of us were bright red. I could feel his uneasiness. I bet he did it on purpose, Sirius… As I thought that I made my way to the bed and laid on it. I watched the ceiling thinking about today's events. It still seemed unreal, to be honest that I moved in with a guy that I know close to nothing about anymore… and we became lovers… and we are going to share the same bed. Just thinking about it that way made me nervous. Without warning I heard the bed creek and I turned to see that he was right next to me. My heart skipped a beat.

"Hey… we don't have to rush things." He said as he turned to face me. "We don't know much about each other right now, right?"

"Right." I said in an uncharacteristic, uneasy and blunt fashion.

"So now we can, you know, try to catch up until we fall asleep. It will ease the uneasiness…" I couldn't help but smile at his words.

"Sure. Where do you want to begin?"

* * *

"Those two… they are all alone now, right?" Jane said as she watched the stars from the astronomy tower.

"Right." Anne affirmed.

"Those that mean…?"

"Perhaps."

"You… how do you feel about his? Your cute Katherine was stolen by a man."

"I'll see to it tomorrow. We're still having the party, right Jane?" Anne managed to say that sentence with great effort.

"Oh, you were able to say it."

"Shut up."

"Yeah, yeah." Jane said looking up to the sky. "I guess we'll see tomorrow." She patted Anne on the shoulder and started going down the stairs.

"Do take care of yourself Kathy." She said with a smile as she went back after Jane.

"Hurry up, Anne. We need to let everyone know its tomorrow and decorate the Room and bring food cause the food in there is no good and drinks and..."

* * *

"Oh, worry not. This will only delay our plans for a bit. " The masked man said as his henchman retreated until new orders were issued. "Let them enjoy themselves for now. We still have time." As he said that the man smiled.

"Have you asked for me, sir?" a dark figure asked from within the shadows. It wasn't a person, but rather just had the appearance of one. The sound that came out of it was distorted and in a lower tonality than possible for a normal human. It felt as if darkness took form.

"Yes. You are in standby for now until further orders, are we understood?"

"Yes, sir. As you wish." and with that it dissipated in the darkness.

"You really are a terrifying creature." The masked man smiled and he exited the room leaving behind only thick darkness.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10 - Happy birthday

The party set to take place in mere one hour is the most anticipated event of every year since my third year here. The girls have taken it upon themselves to give me a surprise party of catastrophic proportions in our third year at Hogwarts and I think more than half a school ended up there? Even teachers were there at some point during the night. I'm still grateful they let students stay up late on some nights.

Today I dressed to impress. I could almost feel Will's eyes on me as he contemplated me from the door while I was doing some final touches to my makeup. This is the only time of the year I wear makeup or, at least, this much make up. I've never been fond of it, but I don't resent it. It helps me feel normal, integrated, accepted. Gives me the ability to socialise better and be less self-conscious. Maybe everyone is like that or maybe I'm just more broken than other people. But when you think about it we all have skeletons in our closet.

_That dress is cutting my breath short. Am I sweating? I'm sweating amn't I? An elegant black shift dress? Really? Is she trying to give someone a heart attack? I'm catching my breath from having to fasten her concealed back zip. She looks like some sort of dark angel fallen from heaven. I presume she's always been like that tho when I think about it. _

I put on my favorite golden bracelets. One on my left and the other on my right. Again, accessories I only use on occasions like this one. Jane gifted both of them to me the first time we celebrated my birthday. There's a charm placed on the to resize to the owners wrist. Quite convenient. And, if one trusted anything Jane says, I think there's some sort of protective enchantment of a certain type placed on one of them.

One last look in the silver mirror. This should do it, we're almost late so we'd better hurry.

"You ready in there?"

Will was waiting for me downstairs, impatient to leave as he was.

"On my way, keep your pants on"

"No promises"

I found myself smiling at the thought. NO! Bad Kathy, bad!

Carefully, I make my way down the stairwell. High heels are another unique aspect of this night. I throw a glimpse the clock. It's half past seven.

"You look.."

_Dazzling, unbelievable, truly beautiful, breath taking, speechless…._

"Thanks. You cleaned up nicely yourself, sharp-dressed and all"

We closed the door securely behind us and Will made sure the wards were up before Sirius returned to side-Apparate us just outside the Apparition wards of Hogwarts. We had to walk a few good minutes, the go all the way up to the Room of Requirements. No one else knew that we had left so Sirius threw an Invisibility Cloak over us. Even after we left the next day, Order members will drink Polyjuice potion everyday and replace us for a while. We left them a considerable supply of hair strands. I heard something about trying to trap those Death Eater.

The sun was almost gone, the grounds surrendering to the darkness. Groups of fireflies were roaming around the place. One collided with our Invisibility Cloak making a magnificent show of light for us. The night already felt magical and it had barely started.

The corridors were silent. However, the closest we got to the Seventh Floor through the moving staircase the more voices we heard. The floor of the hallway leading to the Come and go Room also know as the Room of Requirements was covered by a luxurious red carpet and what looked like more than a hundred people, all dressed up to party. And many were still joining the queue. I have no idea how many students are in my year or all years, but all the people I've ever known were here. Only people over sixteen are allowed to attend to the presence of alcoholic drinks and we wouldn't want the school to have parent problems.

I looked around for Cedric to no end.

Remembering we were still under the protection of the cloak, I continued walking to the door and looked at the time. As planned the door opened slightly at ten to eight so that we could sneak in, then closed right after us.

"Careful, Cedric is here"

Anne whispered to where she hoped I would be. Cedric was doing something at the drinks table and had his back to us so we packed away the cloak.

"Good you made it. Big boy over there offered to help so we made him carry the booze here and prepared the drinks." Jane answered by silent question.

Awaken as from a trance I inspected the place. Un-Merlin-believable. It must've been bigger and the Great Hall itself!

"Girls, this is fabulous"

""Always the tone of surprise""

"You've outdone yourselves. I mean, seriously, look at this place"

"You called for me?"

A young handsome black haired man showed up to my left out of thin air. I had never seen him before in my entire life, but it must be him… who else would make that insinuative joke?

"Is that you?" Will asked.

"Yeah, it's me, Alexander," the boy responded, making a low bow and winking discretely at Will.

"He said he knows you guys so we let him in. Not to mention how handsome he is, not that I noticed or anything," Jane added, visibly drooling. 'Alexander' smiled and offered his hand to her, leading them away, to the empty dance floor.

"Ugh," Anne reacted disapprovingly.

Those two are the worst of the best of sisters. What am I going to do without them..

Five minutes, Cedric finishes setting up the drinks, four minutes the music starts, three minutes, all lights at the ready, two minutes, a few teachers and Order member, who will stay hidden, come in to look over us, one minute, people impatiently knock on the door. I feel like my heart is going to explode of nervousness. I'd rather face a Death Eater right now.

And then the long awaited moment arrives. Will opens the door and students come barging in. Thankfully they mind their attire so they do so in a slightly mannered way. I greet everyone of them. We exchange a few words, gifts are placed on the huge gift table as the tradition call and I move one to the next couple or individual. We do that for that seems like hours. Will come and goes, sensing he's not needed right now.

"_It's her night. She should enjoy it. Might be the last time she gets to do all of this. Her friends worked so hard for this, I wish I had friends like that"_

"Fred, George, what a surprise seeing you here"

"Really?"

"Is it.."

"Now… Don't you owe us.."

"One for helping you with our.."

"Common acquaintance?"

They talked in perfect sync as if rehearsed. As he finished, George nodded towards Will.

"I believe I do. Thanks for coming. Common in, Anne will show you to you drinks"

"Fred, I think this is the perfect occasion for.."

"Might as well, brother"

Their chatter faded away. I admit their gibberish made me shiver at the thought of what they might be onto now. But I decided to push in in the corner of my mind, a sort of out of sight out of mind concept I liked to do.

"You know, I've been to your birthday every year"

As Will plotted something in a corner of the room with Fred and George, Cedric brought two glasses of champagne to me. It took me just over an hour to greet everyone and I felt exhausted. The sweetness of the bubbly liquid was music to my body.

"Thanks"

"You looked like you needed a drink. Was it so much work in the past?"

"It's never been such a big room or so many people. I appreciate you helping the girls, especially after.."

"Nevermind that. What happened wasn't your fault"

If only he knew.

"Yeah…" I suddenly remembered I was naked then and began feeling ashamed.

"Hey, listen, did you see something then?" When have I gotten so soft? I guess the past few days changed be.. I've gotten mushier as some have blatantly pointed out.

"Do you want me to have seen something?"

I punch him in the shoulder, slightly harder than I initially planned. I sometimes don't know my own strength.

I take another sip of the contents of my glass, just to find my glass emptied out. I don't recall finishing my drink.

"Need a refill?"

"Uhm.. I guess I do," I reply shily handing my glass over to him. Our hands touch for the slightest of moments and I feel adrenaline pumping through my blood and a strange feeling in my stomach, a good one, nevertheless.

We danced for a while then finished our drinks and went for a walk outside as I was starting to feel quite warm.

Just as we left the room, a brilliant show of fireworks and light began. Fred and George looked quite proud of themselves in the furthest left corner of the room and Will looked just as happy in the right corner, where the source of the act seemed to be.

I, however, couldn't stand the air or the noise any longer.

We made our way to the nearest window and caught an outstanding view of the mountains and the Great Lake in the moon light.

"You look so beautiful tonight"

He moved a strand of white hair from my cheek. It was such a cliche and yet it felt magical to me. I touched his hand and he held mine in his. The feeling in my stomach got stronger and stronger by the second. I wanted… him.. more than I've wanted anyone my entire life. But it wasn't love as much as it was something else.

We kept staring at one another for an eternity and then he moved closer and my body did the same with a mind of his own. Closer and closer. My eyes closed. I could feel his warm breath softly on my face. And then our lips made contact. It wasn't a passionate kiss, but a carnal one and wishful one, full of desire as if driven my animal instincts and not by human nature.

I recall only bits and pieces after that, walking, going down so many stairs, the painting that gives access to the kitchen and then many barrels and a humming. The next thing I knew, we were settling on a soft white and cold surface. He was on top of me and we were still kissing. One thing lead to another and I found myself only in my lingerie while he had only his boxers left. Then blur. I'm sure we had sex, I remember images, sensations, pleasure like I've never felt before. But I don't want to remember. And blackness.

I woke up without knowing where I was. I was in a fairly simple room. It was dark so I couldn't make out too much of it. My head hurt like hell and I felt sick to my stomach. And the dizziness I got when I tried to get out of the bed I found myself in was outstanding. I was shocked to find I was wearing only my dark green lace bra, my clothes thrown all over the place, mixed with someone else's.

And then I saw him, naked, face down in the bed I had just escaped from.

"Cedric.." I whispered, covering my mouth with both hands. "What have I done?"

I tiptoed around the bed, trying not to cry, picking up my clothes and dressing back up.

"How did we get here?" I kept asking myself.

I almost lost control again, I felt the warm blood liquid dripping from my nose, but I managed to steady myself, barely.

"Those drinks he kept offering me. I shouldn't have left my guard down around him. He must've laced it with some sort of illegal drugs I've heard boys have been using lately to get girls"

I soon found out we were in the Hufflepuff common room's dormitories. Apparently, the Quidditch Captain had his own private quarters or something. In any case, I wanted out of there, fast.

I ran.. as fast as I could, trying to make my way out of the basement and go back upstairs. I didn't even know what time it was. Most likely someone was panicking.

And then, CRASH!

"Siri.. Alexander.."

He caught me before I almost fell on the floor at his feet.

"What's wrong kido? I've been.. we've been searching for you all over the place for over an hour. I had to interrogate a few youngsters who saw you with the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain? You don't waste your time do you now?"

"Do you… (I try catching my breath).. know how to Obliviate someone?"

"I've done my fair share of deeds." He watched me intrigued. It was so weird to look at this new young face of his.

"Cedric Diggory. He's in the Ravenclaw tower. I need you to make last night disappear"

"Wow there! Not until you tell me what ha…"

"Please? I beg of you." I started crying. So broken.. so broken. He held me tight. Had he not, I'd have surely fallen to the floor and stayed there.

"Cedric Diggory, you say?"

"Promise me, Sirius"

"Can you make it back to the Room of Requirements? Everyone's there, your friends and the teachers will take care of you"

"Promise me!"

Sighing, he nodded and ran on the way I came through.

I leaned on the cold surface of the stone brick wall for one more minute, enjoying the chilly calming sensation. After gaining my composure I walked back to the party. Everyone was still there. If anything, more people had showed up.

Jane was sitting alone at the closest table, holding her head in hands.

I walked their hastily, trying not to draw too much attention. I saw Anne dancing with a Gryffindor in the center of the dance floor. At least they had fun.

She heard me approaching

"Kathy, I've been so worried. I thought something had happened to you and it would've been because of me, I insisted we had this party. It'd be all my fault. I'm so glad you're ok. Where have you been? Alexander is looking all over for you, is he some kind of relative? Have you been crying?"

"You remember these bracelets? That you gave me on my birthday?"

I frantically showed both my hands to present her the shining accessories, shaking them in front of her face like a crazy person.

"Yeah, Kath, I do. What's wrong?"

"You told me about a charm you had paid to be put on them"

Merlin, please, make this right, please. Jane smiled all knowingly.

"Yea.. I figured you might want to.. you know... have some fun in your third year.. you were getting along with that boy and.."

"Is that charm still on?"

Tell me you paid him a million galleons and the charm lasts forever, please Jane, PLEASE!

"What? Uhm..I don't think so… it was meant to last for a year, two tops… why?"

"Holy shit"

"Katherine?"


	11. Chapter 11 - Broken and Rebuilt

When I woke up in his hands I instantly felt the urge to push myself away, but soon realized that I was back to The Hidden House, nr. 9. As soon as he felt me move he placed his hand on my head, slowly patting me.

"Good morning, idiot." He put his hand around me, making me want to cry once again. He didn't say a single ill word of me ever since I told him what happened. Needless to say that we went home early, guided by Sirius.

"Hey… Will… am I… a bother?" I asked while hiding my face in his chest. I felt like I was the worst woman that ever lived on the face of earth. Just thinking about it… it made my stomach turn… and I felt guilty for holding onto Will like I do now. Somehow it feels wrong to depend on him. Just a single thought came in my mind over and over again, that he was annoyed by me, after all I did since I met him again. I… have no right to stay by his side right now… do I? I… am in his way…

"You… You are still worried about that?" He said as he gently raised my chin and kissed me. This only made me feel even guiltier that I already was. I began crying, but he didn't let me go. He kept me close to him. "I need you to stay with me. I want to make you feel better… but how can I really do that? You were raped… Sitting around men must be really scary for you right now… but I want you to understand that I am here for you. And yes, doing it with someone after you used a love potion is rape."

"I am the worst… you can't possibly know what I am going through." I said with tears in my eyes as I stood right next to him on the couch. I was wearing a jersey, something that I found last night in hurry in the wardrobe. "I did those things. Even if I was drugged I… did those things… I remember me doing them…" I began crying again.

"Yeah, I don't know… but that doesn't mean that I can't help you out." With that he held me tight in his arms just as he did last night. His shoulder was still a bit wet since yesterday. _"You're mine. I'm never giving you away to anybody." _Hearing his thought I began crying even louder until I passed out again.

* * *

"Ah, good day. You must be miss Delacour." Will said he stood in front of the girl that would show them around town, the tall blonde from Beauxbatons.

"It's nice meeting you." She said in a slaughtered English. Will could hardly understand what she said, but he got a hint from her outstretched hand. "Where do we start?"

"First I want to take you to our house, since you will stay there for a while." He said looking at her bags.

"Ah, I'll always be staying… uh… doux jours? Cela fait-il sens?" Seeing that he didn't understand a word from her failed attempt at communicating in English, she made a big 2 in the air with her finger.

"Two days?"

"Oui." She answered while nodding.

"Anyway, this way." He guided her along the narrow alleys of the city. She was intrigued by this at first, then remembering that they wanted to keep secret their location… and that was why they needed her. It was her first time seeing a defensive spell such as that one, but she kept her cool even though she wanted to know more about it.

"Come right in." Will said with a smile as he entered the house, followed closely behind by Fleur.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of chatter coming from upstairs. I still felt tired, but I decided to get up.

"I look like shit." I said to myself as I looked in the mirror. My unkept hair, the traces of makeup from last night… I looked like hell. "I should go up." I walked the stairs, but froze about half way. I heard laughter, coming from one of the spare rooms. I advanced slowly enough not to make any sound. I was acting strange, but after what I've been through, and also my uneasiness towards Will, all boiled up to this.

I opened the door just a little. Just enough to see through. After getting a glimpse inside I ran, not minding the fact that they clearly heard me and entered the living room once again.

"He was there… laughing… having a good time with another woman." For whatever reason I felt betrayed and crushed, just for seeing them talk to each other like that. Not even one second did I thought about other possibilities. My mind was clouded enough for me to not think clearly anymore.

"Katherine?" as I hear my name from the other side my heart skipped a beat.

"GO AWAY!" I shouted as I blocked the door with my body. I wasn't listening at all. In my mind he already threw me away. He tried to force open the door, but I didn't let him. I pushed back with all my strength.

"So you're going to play it like this, huh?" He said and the very next instant I felt my lips burn hot. My eyes shot open in surprise as I saw Will right next to me, kissing me. The first instinct I had was to throw him away, but I was confused about how he got here in the first place, so I did nothing.

"How…" I began asking but he cut me short with another kiss.

"Have you calmed down a little?" He finally said after releasing me. "She is the guide we talked about with Dumbledore. I went earlier and picked her up. She'll be staying here for two days." He said in one breath, not letting me retort anything back.

"Then why… the laughing…"

"I was making fun of her accent. She is really bad." He said as he hugged me tightly. _"I thought you were more collected than this… but I guess I should have stayed there with you.. you were in that state after all… I'm such an idiot…" _

"Correction. My idiot." I placed my head on his chest, pressing hard against him as we held each other.

"So you can really read my thoughts… I thought something was up when we were talking the first time we got here…" He placed his head on top of mine. It felt really hot.

"And you… can teleport?" He didn't respond by voice.

_"No. I can alter someone's perception of time. To tell it without all the details, for you only time stopped. I just opened the door, catched you so you didn't fall then placed you back where you was and kissed you. Pretty neat, huh?"_

"Hahahaha… true." I laughed as I went ahead and kissed him.

"Ah… sorry to bring up a rather grim topic, but I bought this." He showed me a case on one of the bookcases. "It's a pregnancy test…"

"Grim topic indeed…" I said grabbing onto his jacket. "I'm still just an idiot…"

"That you are… but you are my idiot. I guess we'll just have to wait a couple of weeks before doing the test." He started patting my head. "Until then it's fine. You don't have to think about it anymore. No, I'll make you think about something else, so don't be so depressed, ok?"_ "Said the guy to the girl who was raped. How can I say things like this…" _

"Thank you. For being there for me." I said as I met his lips once more.

"Ah… Je vous déranger?" said an awfully timid voice from behind the door frame. Fleur was standing there, looking at the two as they held each other.

"Non. Non, je suis désolé pour plus tot. Je suis Katherine." I held my hand as I departed from Will, which was now looking confused at me.

"Fleur Delacour. Ravi de vous rencontrer." We both smiled as we shook hands.

* * *

This path already began to show its thorns. I knew from the start that this won't be pretty, but not like this… but even as it is… it's better than the alternative.


End file.
